I'm asking for donations to Hosparus Health Inc. I've chosen this nonprofit because their hospice mission means a lot to me, especially after they have helped our family so greatly these last two years.

In hindsight, we waited too long to call in for hospice support for Mom. Like so many, we, aged parents and caregiver children alike, presumed their services were for "the end." When it's you, or someone you love, facing what that means is daunting. I believe that we are strongest when we ask for help, because it is often at a time we are most vulnerable. I will forever be grateful for the skilled and supportive care of our team of professionals that stepped in those last weeks with Mom. She got her dying wish; to be home and surrounded by love. My parents had their home, vehicles, retirement, and legal documents all in place. Providing that peace of mind for my clients is one of the more rewarding aspects of my law practice.

This is Dad's and was Mom's favorite picture of one another; taken in England in 1983.

Mom and Dad lived fairly independently through much of their retirement. They were both teachers, Mom was a preschool teacher and an early childhood innovator, advocating that play is work for small children. She was also an artist and small business owner, and Dad had been in sports broadcasting, marketing for the local university, a high school, and later professor and university administrator. They traveled, and even lead tours of their beloved England. They packed more in their years together than many of their generation whose childhood was peppered with hunger during the Great Depression, had dared.

Mom and Dad were hospitalized and in rehab at the same time and that's when they realized it was time to leave their home of the last 30 years.

When they moved from their farm and home, to an apartment, Mom thrived in their building. She reconnected with old friends and made new ones. It was the best thing. Dad, well, he did it for her, and begrudgingly admits it was okay (my sisters and I might say better than that). He continued to live in the space they'd shared, until he physically couldn't. When he settled in with us, he said he'd felt at home for the first time since leaving the farm.

Mom and Dad went through 58 years of marriage together, and in my 46 years with Mom, I can honestly say, I've never gotten to know my Dad the way I have since we lost her. It's different, deeper in a way. Don't get me wrong; they were good together, and I miss my Mother in such a way that it brings tears and warmth as if she were still holding my hand or giving me one of her amazing hugs as I type this. I don't know if I could have taken on bringing Dad home end of last summer without the support of Hosparus.

Hospice care is not just for those last hard days or weeks, but for anyone who wants the most out of the health they have, without undue hardship on those helping care for them. The skilled care supports the entire family, and makes every moment of living count.

This Valentine's Day, I hope you'll consider contributing as a way to celebrate with me. Every little bit will help me reach my fundraising goal, because loving someone is without bounds.

NancyEsq Blog

Any information here is generic, and as the law changes, so too might the information shared. It in NO WAY establishes an attorney-client relationship, as that requires my knowing the specific facts and circumstances of your business and situation.